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Cargo Vessels Hit as Iran Threatens to Close Gulf Oil Chokepoint

Three commercial ships took fire in the Gulf on Wednesday as Iran launched strikes against its oil-exporting neighbors, threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and plunging the global energy economy into crisis. Oil prices have surged and markets have seesawed since the end of last month, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, ...

Temporary Immunity, Ongoing Strikes: Inside the Parallel Tracks of War and Diplomacy in Iran

Even as the war between Iran, the United States, and Israel intensifies on the ground, reports emerging Wednesday, suggest that Washington and Tel Aviv have granted temporary targeting immunity to two senior Iranian officials, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, for the duration of the current ...

Israel Renews Beirut Strikes as Netanyahu Vows Hard Line on Hezbollah

Israel renewed its strikes on Beirut on Thursday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that if the Lebanese government did not disarm Hezbollah, Israel would do the job "on the ground". "You are playing with fire," Benjamin Netanyahu said to Lebanese authorities during a press conference, as Israeli jets carried out three strikes on ...

Beirut Pushes for Direct Negotiations amid Internal Dysfunction

Lebanon has sought direct talks with Israel aimed at halting recent military escalation, with a French-supported delegation pressing to start negotiations within days, according to Lebanese media. Major political and military obstacles remain. Lebanese officials say preparations are underway to form a cross-sectarian negotiating delegation, but ...

UAE-Iran Ties Deteriorate as Tehran-Linked Hospital Ordered Shut in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates has ordered the closure of an Iranian state-linked hospital in Dubai, three employees at the facility told AFP, as ties between the two neighbors deteriorate and Tehran continues its aerial campaign against Gulf states. Since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, Tehran has launched waves of ...

Southern Front: Israel’s Push Toward the Litani River

The Israeli military is conducting a methodical ground campaign in southern Lebanon, advancing slowly but steadily along three main axes as Jerusalem seeks to establish a buffer zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had ordered the military to “further expand the existing security strip” in Lebanon, signaling ...

Israel’s Goals and Challenges in the New Hezbollah War

Hezbollah’s opening of a front from Lebanon in support of Iran was not a surprise for Israel, which is again discussing the forcible dismantling of the organization. It remains unclear whether Lebanon is ready to disarm Hezbollah, and whether Israel will be able to do so itself. The new war is escalating, one that Israel and Hezbollah have ...

Trump Warns Iran Against Mining the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday against mining the Strait of Hormuz, threatening severe military consequences if Tehran attempts to block the strategic waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the military ...

UK Warns Iran as U.S. Expands War Effort and Tehran Rejects Ceasefire Terms

The war between Iran and the United States and Israel escalated further, as the British Ministry of Defense warned on Saturday that Iran’s “reckless attacks” and its control of the Strait of Hormuz pose a threat to British interests and those of its allies. Previously on Friday, the UK warned Tehran against targeting its bases and ...

Israel-Hezbollah Escalation Intensifies as Warnings and Airstrikes Continue

The confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah intensified across Lebanon on Saturday, with Israeli airstrikes striking multiple locations in the south and the Bekaa Valley, new evacuation warnings issued to civilians, and Hezbollah launching retaliatory rocket and drone attacks toward northern Israel. The developments come as the conflict enters ...

Israel Strikes Key Iranian Naval Facility as U.S. Considers Troop Buildup in Middle East

Israel on Friday struck a key Iranian naval weapons facility, escalating Middle East tensions as the United States weighs a major troop buildup in the region.  The Israeli military announced that it has carried out a major airstrike targeting what it described as Iran’s most central facility for the production of naval missiles and sea ...

Trump to Postpone Strikes on Iran Power Plants After ‘Productive’ Talks

Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran have engaged in what he described as “very good and productive” talks over the past two days, aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Citing the constructive tone of the discussions, Trump said he has ordered a temporary five-day ...

Iran's Gulf Islands: Are They in Trump's Crosshairs?

Iran has warned the United States about attempting to seize any of its strategic islands in the Gulf -- a move that President Donald Trump is reported to be mulling. AFP looks at potential targets.  Kharg  A strip of scrubland located in the northern Gulf, about 30 kilometres from the coast, Kharg is home to Iran’s largest oil ...

After the War: Why Lebanon's Shia Must Be Freed from Tehran

Unlike the June 2025 conflict, the current U.S.-Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime is poised to reshape the region, with significant consequences for Tehran’s proxies, foremost among them Hezbollah. The fates of Iran and Hezbollah have become defining questions of the regional war. Hezbollah did not hesitate to open a front ...

Ship Traffic Down 95% in Strait of Hormuz

Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers—most of them Iranian—have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces effectively blocked the crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Here are facts and figures about vessels that have passed through the 167-kilometre (104-mile) long strait since the war broke out with US-Israeli ...

Lebanon Expels Iran’s Envoy, but the IRGC Still Looms Large

While Lebanese authorities’ decision to expel Iran’s envoy to the country marks a significant attempt to restore state sovereignty and redefine the bounds of ties between Tehran and Beirut, its practical impact on the ground remains limited. Beirut’s move comes amid an escalating war between Israel and Hezbollah that has underscored the ...

Netanyahu Says Iran 'Decimated,' Tehran Targets Gulf Petro-Facilities

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran is being "decimated" and it is unclear who is in charge, even as the Islamic Republic kept up attacks on Gulf oil and gas targets that have jolted global markets. Nearly three weeks into the Middle East war launched by Israel and the United States, Netanyahu said Tehran ...

U.S. Limits Pause on Iran Strikes to Energy Targets as Talks Remain Disputed

The United States has clarified that its temporary pause on strikes against Iran applies only to energy infrastructure, while military operations targeting defense and strategic capabilities continue, underscoring the limited scope of the announced de-escalation. A U.S. official told Semafor that the five-day suspension ordered by President ...

Cautious Optimism as Oil Prices Decline and Stock Markets Rebound

Oil prices continued to decline on Wednesday, leading to a rebound in stock markets, as traders appeared willing to believe in the possibility of a peace plan proposed by Donald Trump to Iran. “Market movements are driven by narratives and headlines: today, everything revolves around the prospect of a ceasefire,” summarized Neil ...

Hamas Operates Under Hezbollah Tutelage in Lebanon, Documents Reveal

The IDF released a cache of Hamas internal documents found in the Gaza Strip, giving formal proof that Hamas operates under Hezbollah supervision in Lebanon. The documents, dated to the period prior to Hamas’s October 7th terror attacks, show that Hezbollah agreed to assist the group with “equipment, training, and facilities" and that Hamas ...

Trump Urges Other Nations' Warships to Protect Gulf Oil Route

U.S. President Donald Trump called for other nations' warships to help safeguard world oil supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a route which is virtually blocked as of Sunday by the threat of Iranian attacks. Despite sustaining heavy bombardments since U.S.-Israeli forces launched a war against Iran on February 28, Tehran has defied ...

Rubio Signals War Endgame as U.S. Pressure Mounts on Weakened Iran

The United States is increasingly signaling that the war with Iran is entering its final phase, even as military operations and diplomatic maneuvering continue in parallel. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington now sees “the finish line” in a conflict that has entered its fifth week, describing an Iranian state that is, ...

The Day Loyalty Met Reality

Hezbollah consolidated its power on the simple promise that confronting Israel would protect its people. Yet once again, its military actions have forced a mass exodus of its support base from South Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Cars are fleeing war zones in slow convoys, carrying the few essentials panicked people can pack in ...

Hezbollah Rejects Truce Talks as Israel Presses Lebanon Strikes

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender", as the Iran-backed group launched attacks and Israel said it was expanding a "buffer zone" inside Lebanon. Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has kept up strikes on its northern neighbour and sent ground troops ...

Israel Approves 2026 Budget with Increased Defense Spending

Israel's parliament approved the 2026 budget early Monday, providing for a significant increase in military spending as the country remains engaged in wars on multiple fronts. Lawmakers passed the budget with 62 votes in favour and 55 against. The vote averted an automatic government collapse and snap election that would have followed failure to ...

Who Are the Iraqi Groups Involved in the Middle East War?

Since the start of the Middle East war, Tehran-backed Iraqi groups have repeatedly attacked US interests, whether bases hosting troops, diplomatic missions, or oil facilities. The armed groups, which the U.S. designates as terrorist organisations, have, from the onset, warned that the Middle East conflict will become a prolonged war of ...

Iranian Missiles Sow Panic, Destruction in Israeli Towns

Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before. An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment ...

Gulf States Urge U.S. to Neutralize Iran for Good

Gulf Arab states are increasingly pressing the United States to continue its military campaign against Iran, warning that a premature halt could leave Tehran capable of threatening the region’s critical energy infrastructure and economic stability, according to sources cited by the Times of Israel. While Gulf governments initially opposed the ...

Time for Lebanon to Partner with Israel Against Hezbollah

Now that Lebanon and Israel’s interests are so clearly aligned in disarming Hezbollah, the time has come for the two states to cooperate toward this shared goal and lay the groundwork for peace. On March 2, Lebanon’s cabinet convened an emergency meeting and declared Hezbollah’s military and security activities illegal, ordered it to ...